Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Mirror, mirror on the wall…
By Aaysha Cader and Ruwanthi Herat Gunaratne
You've got to be fair to make it in this world. Not true, you might protest, unless you believe the advertising that takes place on the subject that 'fair is lovely and dark is ugly'.

You may laugh, but there are serious consequences to this mindset. The Indian Parliament recently banned a TV advertisement for a skin lightening cream, which fuelled a debate over why fairer skin should be considered more beautiful (see box below).

Keeping up with our neighbours
The situation back here is much the same. Being fair of face is considered an advantage. Every advertisement for skin lightening products proudly professes that the only way to "get a better job", "find a decent husband" and "make your parents happy and proud" is to enhance your beauty by applying a fairness cream. Ever noticed how every single marriage proposal begins with the word - Fair...? Why is it that the modern Sri Lankan is fixated with this concept that fair is beautiful? Is it that the brands and their expected results market themselves well?

"We are simply fulfilling a need," says Ramani Samarasundara, the Marketing Manager, Personal Care, of Unilever (Pvt.) Ltd. that markets Fair and Lovely, one of the most popular skin lightening creams, which has been in the market since 1992. "The product is here because the public want it."

The initial response was encouraging, Ms. Samarasundara adds. "Our target market is the young working girl and the response that we've had from them has increased rapidly over the past few years." Is it only in Sri Lanka that such a fairness phenomenon exists? "Surprisingly there's a huge market in both South East Asia and the Middle East," Ms. Samarasundera says.

But does it work?
"The cream controls the spread of Melanin, but there are no harmful effects as it undergoes diligent testing before it is allowed into the market." The ingredients? "Natural milk proteins and vitamin B." The latest variant, which is in ayurveda form, has also entered the market and already garnered an interest.

"It's the fairness creams that dominate the adult cream market," says Ruki Mendis, Brand Manager, Skin Care, of Hemas (Pvt.) Ltd. "There is no bleach in our product Fair Rose. It is, therefore, 100% safe on the skin." How does it work? "The cream is absorbed into the skin and inhibits the formation of Melanin. But it's a temporary mechanism and though results will be evident within a few weeks the effects are temporary. The cream has to be used continuously to guarantee results."

In the eye of the beholder
Marketing gimmicks apart, there have to be reasons for the product to be on the "most wanted list". Do we see "being fair" as a bonus in life? "I think it's all to do with society," says Hiran (24). "The Sri Lankan mentality is such that we believe that fair is beautiful. It's similar to parents wanting their kids to be doctors or lawyers." But how does that affect our perceptions? "It affects girls and not guys."

"Personally, I wouldn't go for colour," says Eswaran (26). However, the perception that 'fair' means 'good-looking' has not escaped him. "I think complexion plays a big role in a person's looks. Psychologically, the fact that the girl is fair leads you to assume that she is pretty as well," he says.

So where does that leave the darker-skinned? "Dark girls are considered attractive but I have never come across a situation where a dark girl was considered pretty," says Subhashini (21). Subhashini is considered "very fair". "I think that people look at you in a different manner if you are fair." She goes on to say that the advantages lie in the fact that you have a wider variety of clothing to choose from if you happen to be fair.

She points out that there have been many instances when she has noticed people taking a second look at a couple where the girl is darker than the guy.

Dressing
"It's just a gimmick, there's no way that you can get any lighter by using a cream," says dress designer, Purnima Abeyaratne. "But I believe that the colour of your skin affects the way in which you dress, as not everyone can carry off a particular colour. Those with lighter skin possess mostly yellow undertones; therefore almost any shade will suit them. I'm presently designing a dress for a comparatively dark bride. But even though she is dark, I know she's going to look stunning on that day, as she has a beautiful face and a beautiful body."

She goes on to say that those with darker skin possess green and blue undertones that can be highlighted with more vibrant shades. "Pastels will hardly suit them. But it's flawless skin and not skin that's fair or dark that makes a person beautiful."

"It's subjective, and it doesn't affect my viewpoint," says Rehan (20). "The general attitude is that if you want to look good, you've got to be fair - but I don't think that it affects your ability to get a better job and get along with people better. It's just people's mentality."

White knights
There is reason to believe that the market for fairness creams is not exclusively limited to women. The perception that being fair is equated with 'good-looking' was evident among the male population as well, with a few guys conceding that they had tried the products at least once. There have also been instances where members of the male species were hiding behind their respective carts at supermarkets as they were spied carrying fairness creams to the checkout counter.

Nayana Karunaratne, proprietor of Salon Nayana confirms this. "Fairness creams are all the rage in our country now, but there is no cream in the entire world that will change your natural skin colour," she explains. The cells that produce the colour of the skin are situated at the bottom-most layer of the epidermis and fairness creams have no effect on those layers at all, she says. In fact, most fairness creams provide protection from the sun, says Nayana, adding, "They help you hold onto the natural colour of the skin, but they don't make you fairer."

"I think it's just terrible. I hate these ads on TV. They're really degrading," says Avanthi (19). "These adverts make it look as if you can't get ahead unless you're fair," she adds. "People think they look better when they get fair. But then, it's not as if you can change anything else about yourself anyway? Unless of course you opt for plastic surgery or something."

Skin tones
Commented Sureka (19), "It's not as if every fair person is good-looking and every dark person is ugly." She conceded, however, that many people were of that mindset.

Our perceptions of beauty are often based on the concepts created through slick marketing. Consultant Plastic Surgeon Dr. Chandini Perera says, "The western thrust is what has made us believe that white is beautiful and black is not. "There's also the fact that it was the white races that always dominated; take the Aryans who dominated in India as an example. It's a beauty and superiority myth that is now a part of our lives."

The question we now need to ask ourselves is, do we want to perpetuate this myth?

The expert opinion
Consultant dermatologist Dr. M. J. P. de Silva refutes the claims of fairness cream products. "As far as I know, I have seen no effect. People apply them for months and I see no distinct difference in them at all," he said, adding that in certain cases, the products resulted in acne and skin complications for the user. "It's certainly not possible to change your complexion," he says.

"All fairness creams have their own set of chemicals," says Dr. Chandini Perera, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Head of the Burns Unit at the National Hospital, Colombo. "There are only two methods with which one can achieve a lighter skin - by a surgeon performing an operation or by the use of over-the-counter products." However, everything depends on the particular person's skin type, she says. Some of the creams contain certain acids that make the skin very sun-sensitive. Once the skin is exposed to the sun and its harmful UVA and UVB rays, the skin grows photosensitive. "As a result of this one could end up with darker skin."

Asians are unlucky in the sense that the pigmentation on their skin is very unreliable. "Using different products without any supervision may lead to an unevenly coloured skin with dark patches here and there," she advises.

It is ridiculous, according to Dr. Perera, to say that the creams contain only natural herbs and no chemicals as the natural ingredients contain their own set of chemicals, which are the active ingredients. "The problem lies in using the correct concentration. Take garlic for example, everyone knows about its antiseptic qualities which are derived from a chemical that is a part of it. But if you were to slice off a piece of garlic and place it on sensitive skin you'd almost certainly cause a burn and thereby a permanent scar."

India does a double-take
A recent row over a television advertisement for a skin-lightening cream has fuelled a debate in India over why fairer skin should be considered more beautiful.

While India has seen a phenomenal growth in the number of skin-lightening products, women's groups in the country claim recent adverts are insulting, as they equate fairer skin with beauty and success.

One advert has now been taken off the air. "It's a highly racist campaign," Brinda Karat, general secretary of the All India Democratic Women's Association, told BBC World Service's Everywoman programme. "It equates fairness with beauty." The advert showed a young, dark-skinned girl's father lamenting he had no son to provide for him, as his daughter's salary was not high enough - the suggestion being that she could neither get a better job nor get married because of her dark skin.

The girl then uses the cream, becomes fairer, and gets a better-paid job as an air hostess - and makes her father happy. "Of course, there is a cultural base in India for this kind of market. They take advantage of that and exploit that very backward understanding," Ms. Karat said. "This advertisement, we believe, is demeaning to women and it should be off the air."

The company acknowledged the concerns that had been raised regarding the campaign. "Some individuals or organisations have expressed objections against specific exhibitional elements in the advertisements," the company said in a statement. "As a responsible company, we have taken note of these objections and will address them."

But they pointed out that only one advert had been withdrawn, and added that they had not intended to show it again anyway.

But that is not likely to be the end of the row.

The Indian Government is now looking into other adverts, and indeed the whole skin-lightening industry.

"You have to maintain a very delicate balance about that," Rita Vorimer of the ruling BJP party, told Everywoman. "I do not like the concept of moral policing. "But some of these ads have really been very irresponsible, and they portray women in a very poor light." Ms Vorimer was particularly critical of the impact the adverts were having on India's youth. "They are polluting the minds of the younger generation," she said. "They think women are the objects of lust - that is a very wrong value. Something must be done by the government, and the government has a responsibility to stop all this nonsense."

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